How to Make Butterfly & Fairy Wings

Written by denise bertacchi

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(Aby Arabit, Melanie Burger, Arwen Abendstern, rmkoske)

Butterfly and fairy wings are great to have for a child's dress up kit or Halloween costume. You can make your own fairy or butterfly wings at home using some simple craft tools. These directions are for a no-sew child-sized wing made from recycled coat hangers. If you need to make larger wings, buy about 10 feet of wire from your local hardware store. Choose wire that is sturdy, but still bendy enough to shape. When selecting stockings, make sure you don't buy a pair with reinforced toe or support stockings. You want light and gauzy stockings so look for coloured stockings to make decorating easier.

Skill level:

Moderately Easy

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Things you need

2 coat hangers

1 pair of sandal foot stockings

2 elastic headbands

Duct tape

Glitter glue

White or clear glue

Markers

Spray paint (optional)

Wire snips

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Instructions

1

Decide if you are going to make single wings or double wings. Use four coat hangers and two pairs of stocking for double wings.

Double wings

2

Cut the hooks (above the twisted part) off the coat hangers with the wire snips.

3

Put the hangers on your work surface so the triangles form a rough wing shape. Overlap the twisted sections. Wrap the twisted sections with duct tape. Make sure the hangers are securely attached to each other and there are no sharp edges uncovered to poke the child. Consider using coloured duct tape that blends in with the overall colour of the wing.

Single wings

4

Cut apart the stockings. Stretch one stocking leg over each wire wing shape. Stretch tightly. Tie each stocking into a temporary knot to hold in place

5

Reshape the triangles into fairy or butterfly wing shapes. Use your imagination, as there's really no wrong way to shape the wings. Adjust the tension in the stocking as needed.

6

Once you have the shape you like, cut off the extra stocking. Reinforce the knot with a dab of white glue.

7

Attach the elastic head bands to create arm bands for the fairy or butterfly. Tie each band to the centre of the wing joint. You can also use large rubber bands or pieces of elastic from a fabric store.

8

Decorate the wings with the magic markers and glitter glue. You can also paint the wings with spray paint.